However, in today’s era, gamers can encounter many games with more bleak endings, where the main character is overwhelmed by evil, for example. Moreover, happy endings are often not entirely good if players pay attention to the peripheral elements and how developers design the game’s storyline. Here is a list of 10 games that seem to have happy endings but turn out to be very dark.
Heavy Rain – The Neglectful Father
Heavy Rain has up to 7 endings, of which 3 endings involve the main character committing suicide, and some of the remaining endings have the game’s perpetrator still living freely outside the law, but there is one ending that is somewhat “ideal.” In this ending, we see Ethan along with Madison and his son Shaun just freed, living happily together: where the perpetrator Scott has been killed, and Norman suddenly is no longer an addict. Everything seems rosy.
But the truth is not quite so. Besides Ethan still facing psychological issues, with the death of his first child, it is hard to believe that social services would allow him to continue living with his current child. Taking his child to the park to play alone while he himself is having issues is indeed hard to believe. And it is precisely because of Ethan’s neglect that his first child lost his life when they got lost in a shopping mall. Caring for children comfortably, without restrictions is one thing; but when it leads to the death of the first child, and almost the second child as well, Ethan should have been stripped of his parental rights.
Metal Gear Solid 2 – New York City Destroyed
After Arsenal Gear crashed into New York City and Raiden was forced to confront Solidus Snake, Raiden won and reunited with his girlfriend Rose (who was pregnant at the time). Besides some unresolved plot points, the main storyline ends on a positive note, with nothing sad here.
However, half of New York City is now destroyed, tens of thousands are dead, and those who survive must deal with the consequences for many years to come, as the government will surely raise taxes to gather money for repairs and cleanup. Therefore, looking at it from a broader perspective, this is not an ideal ending at all; if one only sees the hero and the beauty living happily together, it is indeed very shortsighted.
Medal Of Honor: Warfighter – Disobeying Orders for Family
This game has sparked many mixed reactions. Without mentioning the fact that the game consultants for EA were disciplined for leaking confidential information, just the ending alone has left players restless. EA decided to have Preacher choose between reporting to his commander or abandoning the mission to spend time healing his family. This idea is somewhat half-hearted and disconnected from the main storyline, yet it remains a quite interesting ending.
But upon reflection, abandoning the mission comes at a cost. Caring for family is one thing, but being captured and thrown in jail for not following orders sounds quite… foolish, as being caught would make it impossible to care for the family. The crux here is that if Preacher leaves, the unit will weaken, and he is likely to face a punishment heavier than usual. Furthermore, Preacher seems to have a tendency towards violence, so he might end up joining some mercenary group instead of the army. Depending on the clients of this mercenary group, he could be charged with treason, and the punishment for that is certainly not light.
Uncharted 2 – Destroying Things That Should Be Preserved
Nathan Drake continues his journey of vengeance when his friend Elena nearly loses her life to a grenade. Drake confronts Lazarevic – who has become almost immortal after drinking the sap from the Tree of Life – and ultimately finds a way to defeat him: just let the guardians of the city of Shambhala handle him. Lazarevic dies, Nathan and Elena kiss, the sun sets, everything is good.
But like the character Indiana Jones, Nathan Drake fails to protect what he should have preserved. Drake should have been the one to discover historical artifacts and locations and preserve them, but instead, he has wrecked the Tree of Life, resulting in the magnificent kingdom of Shambhala being destroyed as well. Rather than helping the locals escape, Drake blew everything up and returned to his love.
Streets Of Rage – Brothers Turn Against Each Other for Power
Streets of Rage has 2 endings, one can be achieved by completing single-player mode, and it is considered a happy ending. The other ending can only be seen when playing with 2 players. When facing the final boss, he gives the 2 main characters a chance to join his gang. If one agrees and the other disagrees, the boss will make you… fight each other to the death to prove loyalty. After the fight, you will duel the final boss and hold an empire, recognized by everyone.
However, the likelihood is that your time in power will not last long as the henchmen are few, and our protagonists will have to defend their empire themselves. Overall, it renders all their efforts, including betraying their friend, meaningless. Or alternatively, the henchmen below might rise up and seek to “depose” and kill this new boss. Either way, there are issues.
Freedom Fighters – The Russians Will Return
Hooray, we have killed the Russians and stopped them from invading America, just like in the Hollywood movies you often watch. So now we should celebrate, as the Russians would have to be crazy to dare to invade America again.
But the war is not over yet. The Russians will certainly return, and they will be more powerful than ever. Just because they were defeated once does not mean they will be defeated again. The recent victory may be a glorious achievement for Freedom Fighters, but this celebration will quickly fade away.
Super Mario World – Mario Mercilessly Kills Koopa’s Children
To save Princess Peach, Mario had to go through many hardships and reach Koopa’s castle. Therefore, when Mario triumphed over King Koopa and his children in Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World, gamers rejoiced for completing their mission, enjoying a happy ending with Princess Peach.
But upon reflection, what crimes did Koopa’s children commit to be thrown against Mario? Even if they were “brainwashed” or forced to fight, they were no match for Mario and had to accept their fate – being swiftly dealt with by Mario. This plumber should have freed these children or taught them a lesson and sent them elsewhere. But no, Mario kills them and blows up the castle, conveniently burying them under the rubble. It seems Mario is not such a friendly character after all.
Tekken 5 – Heihachi Will Never Submit to Chaolan
In this fighting game, if you choose the character Lee Chaolan and defeat the final boss, the ending would typically be spectacular. After winning a tournament, Lee Chaolan returns to his leisurely life in the Bahamas. At this point, Lee’s adoptive father Heihachi has become the main character’s servant, wearing a collar with an explosive device; any disobedience would trigger Lee to blow it up, leaving Heihachi terrified.
Heihachi is a genius but also very cruel, willing to use any means necessary to achieve his goals. He also carries the weight of pride and vanity as he becomes such a notorious villain. Therefore, it is hard to believe he would agree to submit to Lee, and he would inevitably find a way to escape or decide to end his life along with Lee.
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess – Link Slaughters Without Mercy
Link is considered a hero for killing many giant monsters and bringing good to others. Regardless of how big or small, strong or weak the enemies are, Link eradicates them all. And when the credits roll on the screen, we still think of him as a classic hero archetype.
However, most of Link’s quests involve causing trouble for others and killing creatures simply because they are big and look scary. For example, King Dodongo could not harm anyone who did not invade his territory, similar to Helmaroc King in The Wind Waker or Helmasaur King in A Link to the Past. These creatures live far from populated areas and interact little with anyone, yet for some reason, in the game, they are all deemed evil and must be punished. They merely exist as part of nature and protect their territory; or in Twilight Princess, they are captured and brainwashed to do evil. These creatures are entirely harmless, and there’s no need for Link to slaughter them.
Conduit 2 – 2 Immortal US Presidents Saving the World
The ending of Conduit 2 is quite humorous. Familiar faces suddenly reappear at the end of the game, and most notably, there are immortal presidents looking cool, equipped with heavy armor and weapons to the teeth.
But when considering the timeline, it becomes very absurd. Suddenly, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln – two presidents who should have been resting long ago – appear and reveal that they are immortal, intending to save the world against the giant alien ship Tiamat. They may be equipped with fancy armor, but it seems they are far from ready to fight against the invaders. They are likely to flee, leaving Tiamat to destroy Earth, or kill Michael Ford to cover their tracks. Either way, there is no happy ending here.
Source: What Culture